US trade tensions put Irish whiskey at risk, MEP warns

James Cox

Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty has warned that the Irish whiskey sector "could soon be on the rocks" due to rising trade tensions driven by the United States.

She urged the European Commission to "continue taking a calm, strategic approach in response to stop further sectors being targeted".

“Irish exports are once again at risk of being caught in the middle of a trade war that we did not start and will not benefit from,” Ms Doherty said.

“Tariffs on whiskey would hit Irish producers hard, especially our local distilleries that rely on the US as their biggest market. We don’t want Irish businesses to become trade war casualties.”

Ms Doherty acknowledged that a proposed 50 per cent tariff on goods traded between the EU and the US from April 1st will not be happening, following reports that president Donald Trump had threatened retaliation with tariffs as high as 200 per cent.

“This delay is a relief for Irish producers but it is only a delay,” she said.

“Tariffs are good for nobody. They damage relationships, disrupt jobs, and are extremely difficult to unwind once they’re in place,” Doherty continued.

“We need a strategic, measured response — not a move that could do long-term harm to key sectors like Irish whiskey. We must stand together and ensure that the proposed tariffs do not succeed in dividing and conquering the EU Member States.”

Ms Doherty has called on the European commissioner for trade, Maroš Šefcovic, to engage in urgent dialogue with US counterparts and to ensure that small EU exporters are spared as much as possible and that any trade war does not last for a long time.